Impairments of Super Ordinate Knowledge in Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type

This study attempted to test the knowledge in a forced choice manner in order to take into account the conceptual structure of the displayed objects. Fifteen mildly demented (aged 62–72, mean=68.40, SD=3.68YRS) and ten moderately demented patients(aged 65–80, mean=69.50, SD=4.28yrs)screened on the basis of Hindi version of Mini Mental status examination, Hindi version of Wechsler memory scale and Mattis dementia scale and on the basis of NINCDS-ADRDA criteria(Mckhann et al 1984) and fifteen matched control subjects(aged 60-72yrs, mean=64.00yrs, SD= 3.11 yrs)answered the probe questions. Results showed that DAT patients were more impaired to show a good number of correct answers and more impaired in processing and conceptualizing the features of pictorial stimuli with the severity of dementia. These results indicate that there is a progressive loss of knowledge of specific semantic attributes.